We often look at prayer as twisting God’s arm to do what we want. We add up numbers, thinking that the more people you have doing the praying, the more likely He is to be swayed by the amount of people and do what you are asking. And in even more terrible news, sometimes we blame whoever was praying for a lack of faith if they don’t get the thing they were praying for in the way they wanted. I don’t find this true to Scripture, and really painful for many people.
I think that prayer is an invitation into a conversation with the Trinity, a chance to move from my own perspective to God’s. Prayer becomes a place for me to align my heart with His, for me to recognize the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. For Jesus, prayer was a place of continued conversation with the Father as He only wanted to do what the Father empowered Him to do. It was not transactional, but relational.
We must stop making prayer out to be rubbing a lamp to have a genie pop out and grant us our wishes, but rather a deep communion with the Lover of our soul. Can we pray for what we want? Of course! But that’s not the main objective. Instead, we want praying to move our hearts to want what our Father wants, and to see with His perspective. In this way, prayer is always effective, for we always move into deeper connection and vulnerability as we share our hearts with the One who loves us deeply and forever.
When you pray, there is no need to repeat empty phrases, praying like the Gentiles do, for they expect God to hear them because of their many words. There is no need to imitate them, since your Father already knows what you need before you ask him. Pray like this: ‘Our Beloved Father, dwelling in the heavenly realms, may the glory of your name be the center on which our lives turn. Manifest your kingdom realm, and cause your every purpose to be fulfilled on earth, just as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:7-10